9 Best Campfire Foods

Microwaves,
toaster ovens, stovetops and air fryers are all wonderful amenities that we
enjoy thanks to the wonder of technology. Sometimes, though, you have to take
it old-school. For the right meal, there’s nothing better than cooking over an
open flame.

You’ve
probably been to a restaurant that specializes in wood-fired pizza or other
dishes cooked using this method. Even though new methods have made for fast and
efficient cooking regimes, there’s still plenty to know about cooking over a
fire.

You
can cook over a fire at a campsite using a simple stove or spit, or get fancy
and use an oven made of brick or clay. Small changes in the type of fuel used,
the heat of the fire and cooking apparatus can impact how the final product
tastes. Try cooking these meals over an open flame to experiment with smoky
flavors.

1. Kebabs

When
you think about cooking things over a fire, meats often come to mind — hot
dogs, steaks, jerk chicken. But you can one-up the occasional New York steak or
dry chicken breast you accustomed yourself to. Kebabs combine the flavor of
fresh veggies with your protein of choice, and you receive the added fun of
skewering them up.

Equally
as tasty when cooked over a backyard barbecue or with friends over an open
campfire, you can customize kebabs to your liking. You can easily cook them
with steak, chicken, pork or seafood. Add extra flavor by marinating your
protein ahead of time, or use recipes for
pre-planned fruits and veggies to achieve a nice harmony of flavors to compliment
your meat. Remember to consider cooking time — less dense protein like shrimp
and salmon will pair well with softer, fast-cooking company.

When
you achieve true kebab mastery, you’ll find you can get creative with different
veggies and proteins, even when making a quick-cooking protein like fish. The
trick is to slice your denser kebab components more thinly. This will allow
them to cook at the same rate as thicker cuts of less dense fruits, veggies and
protein. So for example, you could do a Polynesian-inspired kebab with thinly
cut steak, bell pepper slices, shrimp and thick-cut pineapple.

2. Meats of All Kinds

While
we started with kebabs, you naturally can’t talk about cooking things over an
open flame without talking about cooking all the meats. Steak, chicken, pork,
lamb and fish also taste great when cooked effectively over an open flame. If
you’re reading this, you’re probably no stranger to the delicious flavor of a
rib-eye or filet cooked over a charcoal grill. Making meat over a fire is a
part of any basic cooking repertoire for many, but you can get more creative.

Bacon
cooked on a skewer over an open flame tastes amazing, and since it comes neatly
packed in plastic, you can carry your bacon with you to a camping cookout or
bonfire on the beach. There are many ways to plan a red-meat meal that diverts
from the oh-so-traditional steak cooked on a barbecue. A camp stove is just a grated
metal separator that you can place over an open flame to make beautifully
charred meats.

3. Hot Dogs, Sausages and More

We
can’t go on without discussing hot dogs. While some people look down on these
tube-shaped protein-pops, hot dogs and their upper-class cousins, sausages, are
wonderful when cooked over an open fire. For a more authentic flavor, avoid the
health-conscious stuff like turkey dogs and go for all-beef dogs with a little
more fat. Of course, toppings are a very personal decision — ketchup, mustard
and sour relish comprise America’s three most popular toppings. It’s likely
you’ve seen more creative toppings such as chili, mayonnaise and cheese.

If
you enjoy the easy-to-eat nature of hot dogs but want a bolder flavor and a
little more provenance, it’s time to go with some sausage. Artisan-made sausage
can be found everywhere from your organic grocer to the butcher shop to the
local farmer’s market. Flavors run the gamut from spicy Italian to classic
Andouille to
sweeter flavors like chicken apple. Serve ’em up on their own, sliced with
vegetables and rice, or on a bun.

Don’t
forget that whenever a bun is involved, you’ll enjoy your meal more by brushing
it with some butter or oil and allowing it to crisp up on the grill for a
couple of minutes. For extra credit, get out the pastry rolls and make some
flame-grilled pigs-in-a-blanket.

4. Baked (er, Grilled) Potatoes

Cooked
over an open flame, these easy-to-make spuds are a wonderful side dish for all
sorts of meals. Plus, they’re easy to package and keep for a few days in foil,
which means you can take pre-wrapped potatoes with you on the trail for a
campfire meal that’s a lot more authentic than eating something freeze-dried
out of a bag. Here’s what to do.

Prepare
your potatoes ahead of time by slicing them most of the way in half. Add your
seasonings — salt, pepper and any dried seasoning will keep, as will butter in
all but the warmest climates. However, don’t add fresh vegetables or bacon bits
unless you’ll cook these the same day. Poke holes in the potatoes for steam to
escape, and then wrap in two layers of tin foil. Cook for about 10 minutes and
then flip and cook for another 10 minutes before allowing them to cool.

You’ll
need a small camp stove to cook them on, but otherwise these spuds are a snap.
As an easy alternative to seasoning ahead of time, feel free to pack your
potato toppings in separately if you don’t need to be weight-conscious.

The
pre-made tinfoil pouch method is effective for a
number of campfire foods and backpacking meals. Those who frequently spend nights on the trail
will often use this method to avoid the weirdness and salt-heavy flavors of
freeze-dried rations. Camp food doesn’t have to be boring.

5. Corn On the Cob

Here’s
another easy vegetable side dish that takes on wonderful flavor when cooked
over an open flame. Making corn on the cob this way is probably easier than
boiling it, and much more flavorful!

Begin
by removing the husks and silks from your corn. Rinse the corn and allow a
little of the moisture to remain on it to steam the corn slightly while
cooking. Add salt, pepper, butter and wrap in two layers of tinfoil. You can
then set the wrapped ears of corn in the hot coals of the fire. You’ll want to
arrange some embers so you’re not reaching right into the open flame to
retrieve your corn, and we recommend using tongs not your bare hands. Don’t
burn yourself and remember to use safety measures.

Once
it cools, you’ll have a sweet, crunchy camp treat that goes well with all sorts
of other dishes. That was easy, wasn’t it!

6. Marshmallows

Another
camping classic here. Yes, the natural tendency is to think of s’mores when you
talk about making marshmallows over a fire but you can find other uses for them
too. Come to think of it, they’re pretty darn good just toasted off of a stick,
or a more sanitary, food-grade steel skewer. Unless you’re one of those twisted
people who enjoy “blackened mallow.” To each their own.

Toasted
‘mallows are of course the critical ingredient in a quality s’more, and you can
find square marshmallows that are made specifically for use in this type of
applications. Many variations on the standard s’more make it fun to experiment.
For example, you might use an exotic type of chocolate, add peanut butter, or get truly gourmet
and break out the bacon. Because who doesn’t like bacon with, well, everything?

Don’t
forget to use your ‘mallows as topping for hot cocoa as well, or even as
topping for a campfire berry cobbler or another dessert. They’re not just a
one-trick pony!

Unless
car camping, this recipe would be difficult to pull off when backpacking, but
these muffins can still make a great treat for a backyard barbecue and put a new spin on
a classic dessert or breakfast food depending on the time of day.

Starting
with whole oranges, you’ll use the peels as your Muffin molds. Slice the
oranges in half and scoop out the flesh. Prepare your muffin mix according to
the instructions on the package and then add the mix into the orange peel
muffin molds. Wrap the filled orange peels with heavy-duty foil wrapping,
leaving a little space for your mix to expand on the top side of the molds.

Set
the wrapped molds into a hot section of coals and allow them to bake for 6-10
minutes, occasionally checking to see how they rise. After allowing another 10
minutes or so to cool, unwrap and enjoy hot, fresh campfire muffins!

8. Pizza

For
a wood-fired pizza experience that saves money and offers a much more authentic
setting, skip the restaurant. You can do it with a shallow Dutch oven type
stove or a pizza stone. Begin by preparing the dough or bring your dough
pre-made. Note that it’s easy enough to make the dough in about 20 minutes
using a pot, flour, water and rapid yeast.

To
achieve the right combination of crispy and doughy texture, you need to shape
your pizza dough into your cast iron skillet before putting it on heat. Add
some flour so you can flip the dough when the time comes and then press the
ball of dough into the shape of the skillet. Once you have a nice even coverage
you can place the skillet over the heat and allow it to begin to cook.

The
bottom of the dough will become the top of your pizza, so it only needs to cook
a few minutes to where it is lightly browned and won’t stick to the skillet.
Using a broad spatula, flip the dough and add your sauce and toppings. You
should have a way to cover your pizza to cook the toppings thoroughly, but if
your recipe calls for cheese it’s best to only cook the pizza part way through
with the top on, otherwise you could end up with a soggy mess instead of the
crisp, browned cheesy top you want.

You
can remove the pizza from the heat, slice it and serve it right from the
skillet. You’ll never look at overpriced wood fire pizza the same again now, will
you?

9. Canned Pasta

We’re
not afraid to go there. Sometimes, when you’ve been on the trail all day and
don’t want to cook, it’s time to get out the beef-a-roni. Similar to other
recipes we’ve covered, cooking over an open flame involves potential safety
hazards. In this case, contents under extreme pressure. Do yourself a favor and
use a can opener to poke some ventilation holes. Make sure they’re located at
the top of the can, or your dinner will end up in the fire. Failure to do this
can result in pasta explosion and potential third-degree burns.

Okay
so making canned ravioli over a fire isn’t super complicated but get yourself a
grill plate or a least a good stick to move your meal out of the coals when the
label has burnt most of the way off. And again, please use safety measures.

Time to Get Cooking

With
so many meal options for cooking over an open fire, how can you narrow the
list? After you cruise through this list, seek out other open fire cooking
recipes as well. You should be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to cook
each of these dishes on the trail or in the backyard.

What’s your favorite open-fire dish? Leave a note in the comments!

Note: This was a guest post.

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By Damian Brindle

How To Effortlessly Get Prepared For Emergencies Of All Kinds In Only 5 Minutes A Day... Fast, Easy, And Inexpensively... In Less Than ONE Single Month... By Following An Expert In The Field: Discover My 5 Minute Survival Blueprint And Get Prepared Today.

1 reply on “9 Best Campfire Foods”

I just soak the corn on the cob (husks on) in water for a while then place them on a grill grate turning them once in awhile. When they are done peel back the husks and remove the silk, it comes off much easier after it has steamed inside the husk. Plus you now have the husk as a handy handle.